Launch is genuinely free for 2,500 subscribers. Scale is $49/month for monetization features. Max is $109/month for multiple publications. The cliff between free and paid is real — here's how to think about when to cross it.
Beehiiv has 4 tiers: Launch (free, 2,500 subscribers), Scale ($49/mo at 1,000 subs, scales with list size), Max ($109/mo for branded removal and multiple publications), and Enterprise (custom). Annual billing saves 14-16% — Scale drops to $43/month, Max to $96/month. The cliff between Launch and Scale is the most important pricing decision you'll make on Beehiiv.
All paid plans scale with your active subscriber count. The headline price ($49 Scale, $109 Max) applies up to 1,000 subscribers — beyond that, pricing tiers increase. At 2,500 subs Scale is roughly $69/month; at 10,000 it's roughly $99/month; at 25,000 around $149/month.
Compared to Kit at the same subscriber counts, Beehiiv starts more expensive and becomes the cheaper option around the 10,000-subscriber mark. Compared to MailerLite, Beehiiv is meaningfully more expensive at every tier — MailerLite at 1,000 subs is $10/month vs Beehiiv's $49.
Scale at $49/month only makes sense if you'll use the monetization features. Run the numbers: Beehiiv's ad network typically pays $10-30 per 1,000 engaged subscribers per send. At 5,000 subscribers sending weekly, accepting ads, that's $200-600/month — comfortably covering the Scale fee. Below 2,500 subscribers, the math is harder to justify until you're earning from another channel like paid subscriptions, sponsorships, or driving to your own products. Don't upgrade to Scale just for the automation features alone — Kit and MailerLite offer better automation at lower price points.
Beehiiv markets "0% take on paid subscriptions" prominently — and it's true relative to Substack's 10%. But Stripe's standard processing fee (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) still applies. On a $10/month subscription, that's $0.59 in fees Beehiiv doesn't take but Stripe does. At scale, this matters: $1,000/month in subscriptions costs you ~$60 in Stripe fees regardless of platform. Substack's 10% would be $100. The savings are real but smaller than "0% take" implies.
Annual billing saves 14-16%. Scale drops from $49/month to $43/month ($517/year vs $588). Max drops from $109/month to $96/month ($1,151/year vs $1,308). For Scale subscribers planning to stay 12+ months, annual billing saves ~$70 — modest but worthwhile. The savings on Max are larger ($156/year) and more meaningful.
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Yes if you'll use the monetization features (ads, Boosts, paid subscriptions). The ad network alone typically pays back the Scale fee at 3,000+ engaged subscribers. No if you just want email marketing — MailerLite at $10/month covers basic functionality for 4-5x less.
Not directly through Beehiiv's tools. Free Launch excludes paid subscriptions, Boosts, the ad network, and tip jars. You can monetize indirectly (affiliate links in newsletters, drive traffic to your own products) but the platform's native monetization requires Scale at $49/month minimum.
Beehiiv takes 0% of paid subscription revenue. Stripe's standard processing fee (2.9% + $0.30) still applies — that's the credit card processor, not Beehiiv. Compared to Substack's 10% take, this is a real savings at scale: $1,000/month in subscriptions costs ~$60 in Stripe fees vs $100 at Substack.
When you have a concrete monetization plan. Hitting 2,500 subscribers triggers an upgrade requirement, but past that, the question is whether you'll actually use Scale's features. If you're at 1,500 subscribers and planning to launch ads or paid subscriptions next month, upgrade now to start building. If you're at 2,000 subscribers with no monetization plan, consider switching to MailerLite or Kit before the upgrade is forced.
Newsletter platform built for monetization at scale.